He did get traded across a border, but at least he wasn't sent to another continent. You have a great deal of confidence in an admittedly-talented prospect and very little in a proven 20 goal NHL player. Vermette is a fine second-line center who is filling in admirably on the top line. Why? Because one of our other admittedly-talented prospects is not fulfilling his promise, this season. I'm looking forward to Nikki's return (and Brass resuming his progress), but expecting too much from him is a mistake. Production trumps potential, every time. AV is a very important part of this team because he is our best option at one of our two weakest positions. And I'm not just sayin...